Dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells based on TiO2 mesoporous films, a ruthenium bipyridyl derivative as photosensitizer and a SiO2/poly(ethylene glycol)-200 nanocomposite thin film as electrolyte
support, have been constructed. TiO2 films have been deposited on conductive transparent Indium-Tin Oxide glass slides by means of a sol-gel procedure carried out in reverse-micellar solutions. The photosensitizer
has been adsorbed on titania films from ethanolic solutions while the electrolyte layer has been
synthesized by a sol-gel procedure. The presence of silica in the nanocomposite electrolyte gel provides the
gelifying agent, the compound that holds the cell together in a sandwich form and the sealing agent that
protects the cell and secures its long-term function. PEG-200 makes the organic subphase which provides
the ionic conductivity. The present work describes the construction of the cell and the study of its efficiency.
A variant of the cell has also been made by incorporating Ag+ and Ru3+ ions into titania particles, but these
dopants did not improve cell efficiency, either in their oxidized or in their reduced form.
